You don't compete on safety. That is the idea behind the Safety Deal that Kruidvat set up together with several (competing) transport companies. The parties work together to make transport safer, even if it costs the chain more money.
During the Logistics Day 2019, Marcel Evers, Manager Supply Chain Operations at Kruidvat parent A.S. Watson, and Marco Kranenbroek, owner of consulting firm Bricklog, explained how Kruidvat, together with transport companies, made safety a priority.
With 956 stores, the drugstore chain is one of the largest retailers in the Netherlands. To supply its branches, it works with Peter Appel Transport, Cornelissen Groep, Tielbeke, St vd Brink, Melis Logistics and DDstrucking. Despite the efforts of each individual party in that chain to maximise safety, incidents and accidents did happen that had a major impact on staff.
Around the table with shipper, transporter and driver
Kruidvat then sat down with three logistics service providers, insurer TVM and consulting firm Bricklog, with Bricklog acting as an independent referee. Kranenbroek: "The communication used to be about the best price, the fastest service, etcetera. When you sit around the table with each other, you build a bond. A culture of trust emerges."
Crucial in this consultation is that not only the shipper and transporter came to the table. The driver was also given a place. "By putting them at the table, they too feel taken seriously, not only by their employer but also by their client. In this case Kruidvat. You also create a sense of responsibility."
Safety Deal
According to Evers, those consultations at the beginning were mainly about concrete measures, such as cameras and mirrors. "That's part of it, but that won't get you there. Only after a while did it become more about behaviour." That eventually led to the Safety Deal, a three A4 sheets of rules for each party: the shipper, the transporter and the driver.
Evers cites an example where the Safety Deal came to fruition: "Last weeks it was slippery, so some drivers could not unload safely. Previously, we felt that the driver had to solve that, with a bucket, for example. In the Safety Deal we agreed that the shop is responsible for ensuring that the driver can unload safely. Now the driver can call us immediately if the situation is not right. We then call the shop to account."
The Safety Deal has been up and running since 2017 . To ensure that companies do not 'forget' the agreements, consultancy Bricklog visits the companies once in a while. Through an audit, it checks whether the parties are still keeping to the agreements. Kranenborg: "The enthusiasm spreads like an oil slick. Other transporters have joined the Safety Deal. Moreover, the companies and their drivers are taking the initiative to set up such a triangle at other companies as well. That is, of course, wonderful to see."
Sustainable employability
What do other stakeholders think of the Safety Deal, which in some cases seems to increase costs? "Indeed, you cannot quantify what it delivers," acknowledges Kranenborg. "In any case, it does not lead to cheaper rates, but it does lead to sustainable employability of drivers, for example. When you hear that a driver has sometimes lain awake because he was worried about what he thought was an unachievable schedule, you know you are doing the right thing here. This driver now knows he can raise the alarm with the planner. In the long run, that leads to less downtime, less familiarisation costs and so on. That's the soft factor that you can't measure."
Image: Photos by D / Shutterstock.com
